Yen in Thailand

1.
Posted byDegolasse(Travel Guru 823 posts) 10y
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So I'm off to Thailand this weekend and just trying to sort out a couple last details. Usually when I go to Thailand I carry nothing but ATM cards and have always got along fine. This time around however I have no ATM card (or at least one with any funds on it), and all the money I have to my name is in a pile of Japanese cash. I could exchange all my cash in for US dollars, cash or TCs, which I'm sure will be easier to exchange once in Thailand and the latter would be safer. But I'm not a fan of the double exchange which would mean losing out on the rate twice. So I was hoping that I could get away with taking my Yen and exchanging it straight to Baht whenever and wherever I need to. I'm thinking though I should buy at least a few Traveller's Cheques just for safetly sake but for the most part I want to rely on Yen. So has anyone tried to exchange Yen in Thailand?

2.
Posted byMagnibel(Budding Member 3 posts) 10y
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Where in Thailand you will be going? If it's Bangkok, then it's not hard at all to find a place where you can exchangeYen to Baht.

3.
Posted byfrosty(Full Member 107 posts) 10y
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Quoting Degolasse

So I'm off to Thailand this weekend and just trying to sort out a couple last details. Usually when I go to Thailand I carry nothing but ATM cards and have always got along fine. This time around however I have no ATM card (or at least one with any funds on it), and all the money I have to my name is in a pile of Japanese cash. I could exchange all my cash in for US dollars, cash or TCs, which I'm sure will be easier to exchange once in Thailand and the latter would be safer. But I'm not a fan of the double exchange which would mean losing out on the rate twice. So I was hoping that I could get away with taking my Yen and exchanging it straight to Baht whenever and wherever I need to. I'm thinking though I should buy at least a few Traveller's Cheques just for safetly sake but for the most part I want to rely on Yen. So has anyone tried to exchange Yen in Thailand?

I never have had to change any Yen over but the money changer/banks at the airport routinely exchange that currency for Thai baht. Even the mini bank money changers will take Yen in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Probably all of them! Why wouldn't they, Thailand is a popular destination for millions of Japanese too!

Most travelers checks are accepted too, only bring large denominations. A fee of 33 baht is charged per check to cash them.

If your Japanese money is kind of dirty, ratty and of very low value there may be some restrictions. (For U.S. money, big bills like $100, will get more in exchange than lower denominations like 1's and 5's!)

One other thing, there are some money changers at the airport in Narita. Depending on where you are starting from, you could check out the rate for Yen at a Japanese airport if it is on your way. (I found several hundred HK dollars on the floor, hundreds of people walked by, I picked it up and changed it for dollars at Narita on my way to my next flight home. Rate was better than I would get in Detroit of some other port of entry U.S.